10+ Ideas for Using Cell Phones with Young Learners

One of the first toys we play with when we are young is a phone. I remember playing with a phone that automatically dialed the numbers to the Sesame Street gang. I loved talking to them and hearing their messages. I remember having pretend conversations with them and these pretend conversations helped me learn to communicate with others. I was mimicking conversations I observed my parents and siblings have or those I saw on the television. Nowadays, children will play with cell phones and I think this is because these devices are one of the most incredible ways to learn about communication. As a language teacher and teacher trainer, I try to find the best tools to help my learners communicate effectively. For this reason, I am a huge supporter of using cell phones and mobile devices for learning. They are powerful learning tools, because:

the majority of learners have them so they offer us a chance to have a classroom full of technology with little or no cost

they are portable, which supports kids getting out of their desks and exploring. Too many times children spend the majority of their school days in desks and for me that is not effective or engaging learning.

they put the learning into the learners’ hands. Teachers have to hover over a student using a cell phone. This dynamic means that many activities with cell phones will be student centered.

they are used at home. This means that we show our kids that these devices can be used for learning and we help them realize that learning is all around them.